On The Road To Discovery
by Vicki So
Summary: Formerly "Vicki's Geography Lessons" this drabble series follows the non-canon sexual adventures of Prince Zuko circa season 2. Third-place winner of Geography Lessons challenge.
1. Vegetables Are Good For You

**Once upon a time, I wrote this short series very unoriginally titled _Vicki's Geography Lessons_ in response to a challenge, for which I won third place. I only posted in at Fhaven dot org and AFF dot net, but as Fhaven's down and some people get squeamish with AFF, I decided to finally post it here.**

**Warnings for mature content, porn, language, and general off-color humor.**

**Avatar is a property of Nickelodeon and Mike and Bryan. I do not own Avatar.  
**

* * *

**Vegetables Are Good For You**

* * *

He was hungry, but it was not his stomach that growled; it was something lower, baser, below the navel and in his throat and strung in every nerve. He felt tight, coiled, and tenser than he should have been despite his circumstances. 

Then Zuko realized with a start that he hadn't jerked off once since his flight from his treacherous sister began.

Who could blame him? Being astride a galloping ostrich-horse all day subjected his equipment to enough punishment. Beating it off in masturbatory fury would not have helped ease the journey.

But now he was horny. Hornier than he had ever been. He tried to imagine what had set him off – perhaps that pretty girl who had given his uncle some coin and a smile? He imagined she might have smelled faintly of lilacs, and tasted of freshly whipped cream…

Oh what he'd give to be left alone in a dark room with soft bed, silk sheets, and his wild imagination. But he was out here in the woods, with his uncle not five feet away, in the shallow overhang of a cliff. He'd never get away with it.

He got up, his urges demanding attention. His feet carried him into the woods, and he blindly groped in the dark until he suddenly found himself by the deserted roadside. He must have wandered off in the wrong direction, or else they had camped closer to the path than he'd thought.

A wooden cart had been abandoned by the side of the dirt road here; one of its wheels had popped off the axis and split neatly down the centre. The owner must have walked back to town for the night to return with repair supplies in the morning.

Zuko walked over to the cart and inspected the few cabbage heads left at the bottom. He picked one up, intending to bring it back to camp for tomorrow's dinner, but as his pelvis brushed the side of the cart, he was achingly reminded of why he'd gotten up in the first place.

He looked at the cabbage, the waxy leaves feeling peculiarly soft in his palms. He hefted its leaden weight; it was like holding a small head. A woman's head.

A flurry of images came to mind about any and every pretty girl he'd ever encountered. The longer he stared at the cabbage, the more it called to him…

And before he knew it, the Firebender had bored out an inch-wide shaft into the thick vegetable with his knife. He shook the excess shavings out and rubbed at the hole to moisten it before surreptitiously looking about and pulling his pants down.

Zuko groaned as he pressed his member into the vegetable and he leaned heavily against the side of the cart as he worked the leafy head over him, driving himself deeper and deeper into the throes of ecstasy.

Never mind that he was fucking a cabbage.

He closed his eyes, letting his mind conjure up the most buxom and desirable women he could think of, imagining that they were devouring his quivering manhood. He moaned lowly and finally came, filling the vegetable with his tension and hot seed before dizzily removing it, tossing the discarded lover back into the cart, pulling up his trousers and heading back to camp.

Sated, he didn't even bother picking up another head for tomorrow's dinner as he had originally planned.

* * *

The next day, Iroh went to town to beg for scraps while Zuko tried his luck at fishing. The old man came waddling back to camp with a surprise. 

"Look what I got!" He held out his prize, grinning. "I was by the side of the road when a cabbage seller gave me this for free. See, it has a hole in the side, so he couldn't sell it, but it looks perfectly edible otherwise. Now we can have soup tonight! What's wrong nephew? You've never been a picky eater before. Don't you know vegetables keep you regular? Zuko? Zuko? Are you all right?"


	2. Rite of Passage

* * *

**Rite of Passage**

* * *

He'd heard the story from a group of nomadic songsters who smelled as bad as their music sounded: the secret shortcut through the mountain that would take him almost straight to Omashu.

It was the second part of that tale that had him stumped.

"Trust in love? What the hell does mean?" Zuko stood at the cave entrance, recently cleared of rubble. There was no way he'd enter a cursed tunnel without knowing exactly how to get out of it. He supposed he could take the time to go around the mountains and follow the path heading west, but cutting through the passages would shave three days off his journey.

He sat and pondered the words. Trust in love? That had to be a metaphor for something he had to do once inside the cave.

Did self love count?

No. There was no way that was the answer. It was just ridiculous. He shouldn't even be entertaining that thought, not after the cabbage incident. He snarled at himself in frustration. What was it about him lately that had him thinking about sex all the time?

And then _she_ came along.

"Well, well, well," she pulled up alongside him, her Xirxiu dwarfing the ostrich-horse. "If it isn't Angry Boy."

Zuko glared up at the bounty huntress as she tossed her hair, one hand flexing over the whip at her side.

"Nice ride," she snickered at the prince's little mount, which shifted uneasily under the great beast's blind, slavering glower. "And I like what you've done with your hair. But really, green's not your colour."

"Shut up."

"So where's Uncle Lazy?" She asked airily.

He frowned. "Not here."

Jun pouted. "Hmph. A shame. I thought he might be around to help you through the caves. But today's your lucky day: you've got me." She jabbed her thumb directly between her breasts.

That got his attention. "You know how to make it to the other side?"

"Sure. But I'm going to need a strong, healthy male to get me through." She sighed. "Oh well. Looks like you'll have to do."

Zuko scowled.

"Get on." She patted the saddle behind her.

"What about my ostrich-horse? I don't want that _thing_ eating it." He indicated the Xirxiu.

Jun snorted. "That thing barely has enough meat on it to be a snack. Just tie the lead line to the stirrup and get up here. We'll get through this together. Hurry up – I've got places to be."

He did as she instructed, wanting to get through this ordeal as quickly as possible so he could continue to track the Avatar and his friends. Still, her words echoed in his mind, intriguing him. She needed a man to get through the Cave of Two Lovers? Surely she didn't think…

The Xirxiu shot forward at a gallop, pulling the ostrich-horse along and throwing Zuko hard against the bounty huntress's firm backside. He instinctively reached around and grabbed hold of her waist.

"Ooh, just a little eager, aren't we?" She smirked as they rode into the dark. He felt himself blush and eased his grip, throwing one hand up and lighting their way with the fire in his palm.

It seemed like hours that they had been underground, and Zuko was getting annoyed.

"We can't keep this up: my mount is exhausted." He complained. "I thought you said you knew your way through these caves."

Jun turned her head slightly, a curtain of ebony hair hanging over her face. "I do. Just be patient. We'll stop and rest here."

They dismounted and Zuko lit a small fire while Jun flapped out a bedroll and spread it over the ground. She stretched languorously, like a cat, working the kinks out of her muscles. The prince found himself staring, his mouth dry. Lit like this, he didn't think he had ever seen anything so sensual as the sight of this admittedly gorgeous woman kicking off her high platform boots and wiggling her toes. She looked up and smirked as he turned his eyes away and pretended to stretch his neck and shoulders.

"Need a hand?" She said and slithered up behind him. "You must have a knot the size of your head in your back after holding your arm up for so long."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "If you knew where you were going, I wouldn't have to hold it…_oooh_…" She squeezed his shoulder with an iron grip, sending aching thrills through his entire body as she worked at the sore muscle where his neck met his shoulder.

"You're so _tense_," she murmured in his ear, hot breath tickling his skin. Zuko stifled a moan of pleasure as she ran those strong hands over his back. He didn't really want to enjoy this attention, but by the gods, he was really, _really_ enjoying this attention.

He stiffened as her arms slid around his middle, long fingers splaying over his flat abdomen. He felt the firm flesh of her chest press against him, two distinct globules leaving deep impressions in the Firebender's imagination. "Wha—!"

"Shh, it's okay," Jun purred. The campfire sputtered and wavered, and she giggled at the way the prince's emotions affected it. "You're always so tense. You should learn to let go, let the fire burn…"

"I-I can't do that!" He whimpered as her hand circled over the aching bulge in his pants. "F-fire needs to be… controlled…" he stuttered, trembling.

"Relax…" She cooed.

"But… if the fire goes out…"

"Let it."

His breath hitched when she slid her hands beneath his waistband.

The fire went out.

* * *

He woke up sometime later, trying to remember what had happened. He was lying on the ground and suddenly realized the fire had extinguished, but he could still see by the blue-green glow overhead.

"Crystals…" he murmured. He sighted along the distinct path the crystalline formations grew down. _So that's how it works…_

He sat up slowly, his clothes sliding off his naked form. Someone had piled them over him while he slept. Someone…

"Jun?" He called out to the dark. He quickly slipped his tunic over his head, pulled his pants and boots on. His head spun. He tried desperately to remember what had happened after the fire had died but couldn't recall anything past that moment.

The ostrich-horse sat dozing nearby, but Jun and the Xirxiu were gone. All he had left was the impression of her hands on him, a pair of lips gentling his earlobe, and the silky curve of hair brushing his cheek. A hot whisper echoed in his mind and the words jumped out at him:

"_Oma is waiting."_

Whatever that meant.

And then he had blacked out. Fainted.

Oh gods. He had passed out just when he was about to get some.

Zuko cursed himself. He gathered up his gear and suddenly realized he was missing something: clearly it wasn't his virginity. It was something else, something much more important.

He fingered the pouch on his belt.

Roaring in frustration, he kicked a rock.

"BITCH STOLE MY MONEY!"


	3. Maid in Earth Kingdom

* * *

**Maid in Earth Kingdom**

* * *

He found it strange yet warming whenever a family of Earth Kingdom peasants welcomed him, a scarred, stoic, stranger, into their homes to be fed and given some small comfort on his long and arduous journey. He had his pride, of course, and never took anything from these generous people without working in return. 

Today, he was mucking out ostrich-horse stalls. Not the most pleasant of tasks, but over the stench of manure, the smells of stewed meats wafting through the air promised that dinner would be well-worth the hard work he was putting in.

He never thought he'd have to put out, though.

"Well _hello_ there," a silky voice drifted to his ears. Zuko turned and spotted a tall, beautiful young woman coyly leaning against the barn door. She was dressed in a scandalously tight sleeveless tunic cut so low her cleavage popped out at him. Her long, shapely legs glistened in the day's heat, adorned by a very short skirt that hugged her hips jealously. Bright green eyes appraised him through a curtain of springy auburn curls. "Momma said you were helping out for the day."

The prince straightened and gave a short nod as she approached. She looked about. "Wow, you've really cleaned the place up. You must have some great arms on you to get the job done so fast." Her eyes roamed up and down the length of his body and she reached out to squeeze his biceps.

Zuko pulled away. "I do my best." He said shortly and continued shoveling, not wanting to stare at her any more for fear of arousing any treacherous bodily reactions.

"By the way, my name's Sylphie. What's yours?"

He hesitated, but the lilt in her voice and the earnest, smoldering smile was disarming. "Lee." He lied.

"Mmm." She pursed her lips and winked at him. "Well, _Lee_, I'll see _you_ at dinner."

He watched her go, sweating. As that tight, curvy butt shimmied out, he suddenly realized she hadn't been wearing any underwear beneath that short skirt.

* * *

Dinner was fabulous, replete with roast duck, steamed vegetables, rice, soup, and even orange slices – something the prince hadn't had since before he could remember. Zuko felt as though he had never eaten so well. As they ate, Sylphie's parents talked with pride about how their eldest son was away at the war front, and the family's long-standing military tradition. According to the father, their family was "made of soldier material"; every single member of their clan had all served at one time or another as officers, soldiers, spies, or engineers.

All the while, Sylphie stared openly and doe-eyed at the Firebender, sighing and twirling her hair with a stupid smile curling her lips. It was unnerving, especially when she began running her bare toes up and down Zuko's leg with her parents sitting right there. Curious as he was, he coughed and batted her foot away from his crotch.

By the time dinner had ended, the sun had set and the fireflies were out. The family suggested Zuko stay the night in the newly cleaned stables and let his steed rest. Zuko demurely agreed and promptly retired, flopping down onto the soft, fragrant hay, his back and muscles aching for the day's work.

It must have been around midnight that the barn door creaked open and someone slipped in. In a flash he was awake, his knife drawn.

"Who's there?" He gritted, peering into the dark.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!" Sylphie stepped into the moonlight her brown locks curled prettily around her face. She was clutching a blanket around her shoulders.

Zuko relaxed and sheathed the blade. "What do you want?"

Her lips twisted upward in bemusement and she slowly paced toward him. "Actually, I was hoping… there's a _job_ you could do for me."

"Job?" Zuko swallowed as she dropped the blanket. "…Oh."

"It's a little lonely out here, and my bed's cold. I don't suppose you can be terribly comfortable yourself, being here all alone." She trailed a finger down her front seductively.

Zuko gawped, staring down at the young woman's incredibly curvy body, stuffed into a tiny silk night gown, her chest rising and falling alluringly. "Uh…"

"So I was thinking I could, you know, give you a little better hospitality…"

"Uh…"

"…And warmth…"

"Guh…"

"…Because you've done so much for us…" She was standing toe-to-toe with him, dragging her fingertips across his chest. "And I think you got the shorter end of the stick."

Zuko gulped, his palms turning sweaty.

Slyphie gazed up at him, lips parted in a pant. "Me, I like to have the _long_,_thick_ end of the stick." She placed her palm against his front and gave him a light shove. He stumbled back and sat down on the straw. The farm girl quickly straddled him and wrapped her hands possessively around his shoulders. "I bet you're used to getting what you want too." She breathed, pressing her weight upon him.

Zuko squeaked. A beautiful, practically naked woman was straddling him in the dead of night, wanting nothing but a roll in the hay with no strings attached. This was too good to be true. Only in his wildest teenage fantasies did this happen. His hands, moving of their own trembling accord, slid up to her waist as she lowered her head and sensuously began devouring his mouth. Her thighs tightened over him, pinning his legs down, and he grunted with approval as she thrust her hips at him.

The next few minutes were a blur. Clothes flew off in every direction until Zuko was entirely naked, the hay feeling itchy against his skin. His erection saluted the farm girl, who had managed to keep her nighty on, and she giggled as she lay atop him, pinning him down with her heavier-than-he-thought weight. Despite his moans and urging, she wouldn't let him into her fold, would not satiate the burning need growing in his loins, blinding him with lust. She simply kept him trapped beneath her, teasing him, running a soft pink tongue along his flesh.

Gods, if he had known traveling alone would get him this much pussy, he would have ditched his uncle a long time ago.

He wriggled, wanting desperately to flip her over and take her, but she kept him at bay, pressing even more of her weight upon his wrists above his head, keeping him trapped by the firm flesh of her heaving breasts. Despite her namesake, hers was not the slender body of a nymphet, but the solid form of a farm girl raised on hearty country fare and hard labour, a dark-haired Valkyrie bred from stalwart Earth Kingdom peasant stock.

Now that he thought about it, she was probably as hefty as he was, especially since he'd lost so much mass over the past few weeks on the run. She was definitely part of the clan. Soldier material.

Zuko gasped as Sylphie clamped his aching member between her pinched thighs. She rubbed him between her legs, moaning as she ground against him, the silky cloth of her underwear damp.

She panted. "Oooh… Zuko…"

The prince froze. He stared at the girl, whose eyes had widened at her slip up. She looked down at the naked Firebender and grinned mischievously. "Oops."

At that moment, a half-dozen Earth Kingdom soldiers burst into the barn, followed by her mother and father with lamps. They surrounded the pile of hay and its two occupants, weapons drawn, massive clods of earth and rock hovering at the ready.

"Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation: by the laws of the Earth Kingdom, you are hereby under arrest for espionage and attempted rape!" the head soldier declared loudly.

Zuko stared around him. He looked up at the girl still pinning him, her face smug. "Exactly who do you think is being raped here?" He cried.

"Good work Sylphie. You were smart to recognize the exiled Prince of the Firebenders." Sylphie's father said approvingly. "You'll make a great spy."

"Thanks daddy!" She chirruped, and punched Zuko hard in the gut.

His arousal rapidly shrinking, the Firebender swore loudly just before the guards cuffed him and knocked him out for the trip to jail.


	4. Empathy

**This chapter rated very mature for icky rape scene.**

* * *

**Empathy**

* * *

Zuko pried his sticky eyes open, his head throbbing from the lumps he'd accrued back at the ostrich-horse stable. At least his captors had the decency to dress him in the clothes he'd arrived with before he had tangled himself in the farm girl's web. 

He slowly sat up, groaning, but found his movement restricted. His hands and feet were cuffed, his fingers linked together within closed gauntlets to prevent him from Firebending. A short length of chain attached his ankles to the floor. He looked about: iron bars and steel plates surrounded him on all sides. Not good.

"Oh. You're awake."

Though a little hoarse from disuse, the voice sounded vaguely familiar. The prince peered into the darkness, letting his eyes adjust, when a figure in blue sidled up to the bars the adjacent cell shared with his.

It was the Waterbender who traveled with the Avatar, the one he had fought with back at the North Pole. Katara.

Zuko found himself flooded with mixed emotions. On the one hand, seeing a familiar face in this cold and lonely place after traveling on his own for so long overwhelmed him with gratitude; but on the other hand, this particular face was not one he would have chosen to welcome him, pretty as it was. She had bested him twice, after all, and had been a hindrance to his mission ever since he'd met her.

But she didn't smirk down at him or laugh or even look upon him with pity. Her eyes looked dead and a little sunken, her lips pale and thin in the moonlight shafting from the tiny window above.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, the ghost of a smile passing over her face.

Zuko shifted and grumbled. "Fine."

She flinched at the hardness of his reply. "You're…" she trailed off. "I like your hair."

The prince cocked an eyebrow at her.

"They dragged you in here a few hours ago," she explained, "I wasn't sure it was you at first. You didn't have the armour and stuff…" she blushed and fidgeted with the ends of her braid. "Actually, you didn't have anything on at all."

Zuko found himself unable to suppress the heat flushing through him. The girl had seen him naked? He was overly curious to find out what she thought of the rest of him, though he couldn't care less what she thought.

"So why are you here?" He found himself asking sullenly. His mouth felt detached from his brain. Every fiber of his being didn't want to be talking to this girl, this _peasant_, but he couldn't _not_ talk to her – that would just be rude.

"I… I got caught trying to steal something." She stared down at her hands.

The Firebender's lips twitched. "Be grateful. In the Fire Nation, theft is punishable by amputation of the fingers or hands."

Katara said nothing.

Zuko rocked back on his heels and sighed tiredly, trying to figure out his next step. He settled down to meditate, studying his cell and all its minutiae in order to formulate some kind of escape plan. In his peripheral vision, he could see the water girl standing by the bars, staring at him with wide eyes that seemed to devour his whole being. Every inch of his skin crawled (pleasantly) at her scrutiny.

"Could you please stop that?" He murmured finally.

"What?"

"Stop staring at me like I'm some kind of freak show."

"You're not a freak show." She said shyly. "And I wasn't staring. I was thinking."

"About what?"

"Well," she sat down. "We haven't seen you since the North Pole. I… we were starting to wonder if you had died, or something." He noted the hint of remorse in her voice and was strangely warmed by it. The Avatar and his friends had thought about him?

"I'm fine. I don't need your concern. I can take care of myself." He said sharply, concealing his strange, private pleasure. He expected her to lash out at him, to yell at him for being bull-headed and callous – even anger would be better than that owl-eyed gawp – but she didn't respond. It was as though the fire in her spirit had been put out.

"Yeah," she murmured, resting her forehead on her knees. "I know."

He blinked at her demureness. It was if she had retreated within herself, like a frightened turtleduck ineffectually tucking itself into its shell. Where was the Waterbender who had defied him at the North Pole? The one who had dispatched him in the middle of the frozen tundra without a second thought? She had been so proud and strong once, but now she looked like a caged and beaten animal, her head hanging low, her eyes downcast, ashamed. What could have happened to make her like this?

The external door of the jail opened and a hairy, burly Earth Kingdom man strode in. Zuko looked up at him and was instantly reminded of a greasy cross between a hog-monkey and a platypus-bear.

"Well, well, our new guest is awake!" Monkeybear Man bellowed haughtily. "Are you enjoying your accommodations, your Highness?"

Katara tucked herself into the shadows and pressed herself into a corner.

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "Fairly comfortable, thank you," he said, inclining his chin.

"And I supposed the company's good too?" He chuckled over at the water girl, who stared at him with wide, fearful eyes. "If you're a good guest, I might just let you have a piece of her too, hmm?"

Zuko's stomach dropped. _Oh gods, he didn't…_

"What do you plan to do with me?" He growled to draw attention away from the girl. He studied the warden, the door, and the visible portion of the room beyond, adding the details to his blueprint for escape.

"Do? Well, there are quite a few options," Monkeybear Man strode to the bars. "I could take you to Ba Seng Sei. You'd be put on public display. Tortured for information, maybe. Probably executed in the end. I'd be touted as a hero for that, you know." He paced, gesturing airily with a hammy hand. "But then there's this wanted poster circulating about. It says there's a huge reward for whoever finds you and turns you over to the Fire Nation." The warden stroked his beard. "It makes me wonder what you did to earn your own family's wrath… but it won't bother my conscience. What's it like, anyhow? Being hunted as a fugitive and traitor by everyone in the world?"

Zuko said nothing and looked down, not to hide his shame, but to concentrate.

The prison warden laughed heartily. "Oh how the mighty have fallen. But don't worry, your Highness. I would not deny someone of Fire Nation royal lineage the comforts of home." He strode toward Katara's cell and opened the door. The girl whimpered, and Zuko watched in horror as he grabbed the girl by the hair and began pulling off her clothes. His heart stuck in his throat, and he found himself unable to shout out. The Waterbender cried and begged him to stop, but her robe was torn off and thrown into a heap on the ground, the strips of her breast band yanked off. The warden wrestled her out of the cell, opened Zuko's, and shoved her in.

The bars slammed shut. Katara sobbed and pushed herself into the corner behind the prince, hugging her knees and hiding her body.

"Enjoy yourself, Prince Zuko," the warden laughed and walked away, closing the outside door behind him.

Zuko stared at the man's back, shaking with fury and disgust. That monster would pay for this.

Katara's sniffling from the corner of the cell sapped away some of the rage and he turned his attention upon her. He looked at her sideways and tried not to gawp at the smooth dark skin of her thigh, the only part of her visible in the thin veil of moonlight.

"Why didn't you fight him? You're a Waterbender!" He hissed, staring at the far wall.

"He…" she hiccupped. "He has Toph. He said he'd hurt her if I didn't do what he said."

Zuko gritted his teeth. Bile rose to his throat and he bit back a howl of rage. This proud, noble girl had been violated in the worst way possible; even if she was once the enemy, he couldn't abide by this kind of treatment.

"We have to get out of here." He said. "Katara—"

It was odd to say her name out loud. It really was a pretty name. He cocked his head and continued.

"Katara," He repeated slowly, turning. She yelped.

"Don't look at me!" She wailed.

He snapped his head back to face the far wall, closing his eyes. "I…" he had to be careful. The next few words would make it or break it. If he wanted to escape, he would need her help, and to get it, he needed her to trust him. "I won't hurt you. Whatever you think I am, whatever you think of me… I'm not that person anymore." He paused, and more words tumbled from his mouth: "I don't know what I am…"

The truth made his heart palpitate, his eyes widened. He swallowed thickly, clearing his throat. He turned his head slightly.

"Don't look at me," Katara repeated quietly. "Please, don't look at me."

The prince locked his gaze on the far wall, imagining the Waterbender curled up in fetal position in his cell. He felt anger and pity. He wanted to cry for her, but tears did not come; they rarely came, even for himself. He felt her shame, her humiliation; emotions that were not his own, but ones which were undeniably bothering him, swirling in an ever-growing vortex of angst and loathing. Disgrace seemed to radiate off her in waves. She was fragile, ready to shatter at the slightest touch as she sat there, trembling, clutching at her skin as if to hold herself together, to keep herself from flying apart at the seams.

He knew how that had felt once. Alone in a dark room, mirrors smashed, the only home he'd ever know at his back, hundred of miles across the sea…

And suddenly, he knew what she wanted to hear.

"I think… you're very beautiful, Katara." Zuko said quietly.

In his mind, it seemed like the nicest possible thing he could say, and he prayed it would win her over. He ignored the surge within him, that undeniable wave of relief and joy that came with telling the truth.

The effect was remarkable. Though she said nothing, he could hear the sharp intake of breath, and sensed the flood of body heat. Zuko smiled. He had her hooked.

"Take my shirt." He said.

Katara's head snapped up. "Y-your shirt? But… I won't be able to get it off you, your hands are cuffed."

"Come here. I know a trick."

He could hear her chewing her lip. "I can't."

"Please." What an odd word. "Trust me. I'll keep my eyes closed. I won't look. I swear on my honour." He did so, sitting up on his knees, waiting.

There was a moment of hesitation, but he heard her slide out and shuffle toward him. It was just too cold in that metal cell for her to say no. He could sense her proximity, catching the sweet tang of unwashed girl close by. It stirred a wholly inappropriate response in him. _Be gallant, dammit, now's not the time to be a teenage boy._

A hand brushed his side and he stiffened. "Okay. What do I do?"

Zuko cleared his throat. "Loosen the tie at the waist and flip the back up over my head. Right, just like that." He felt her pull at the robe, and it came up over his head. The sleeves unrolled out and he felt the cold air nip his bare chest. Katara's fingers delicately brushed his skin. An electric thrill of pleasure pulsed through him and he stifled a smile as he imagined her naked body pressed close to him.

"Wait, what about you? Won't you be cold?"

"I'll be fine." Zuko smirked. "Firebender, remember?"

There was a bit of a snort. He liked to think he had made her laugh. There was more tugging. "I can't get it off you," Katara said blandly as she worked over the cross-tangled sleeves.

"Sorry, this is as good as it gets. Just drape it over you and tie it closed." Even as he said it, he imagined the closeness of those curves. In this position, she would be facing him, trapped in the circle of his cuffed arms. He thought she might refuse and prefer to go naked, but to his delight, she quietly slipped into his embrace and pulled the robe tightly around her.

He suddenly remembered a dream he'd had. A very vivid one. She had been in his arms, just like this, slowly drowning him in kisses, and he could only breathe by kissing her back, except it made so little sense to him in the dreamscape that the world around him dissolved…

"Okay. You can open her eyes."

Zuko slowly opened his eyes and found himself almost nose to nose with the shivering Waterbender. He leaned back, trying to give her room, but the length of his arms didn't give them much breathing space.

"Are…" his voice cracked. "Are you okay?"

Katara nodded slowly. "Yeah. This is better. Thank you."

Zuko set his mouth into a firm line and thought about a hundred very unsexy things from Zhao in the bathtub to Uncle Iroh's singing. It only took the thought of Katara being manhandled by Monkeybear Man to kill his erection. A surge of fire traced through his veins, burning away lust and replacing it with wrath.

He looked down at Katara, inspecting the bare flesh of her delicate neck. There didn't appear to be any bruises, which was encouraging. At least she hadn't been beaten. He worded his next words very carefully. "Are you… hurt at all?" He did his best to sound genuinely concerned.

There was a long pause. She looked down. "He likes to watch." Katara explained quietly. "He roughs me up a bit and… touches me, but he prefers to watch. I'm still a…" she trailed off, biting her lip, eyes brimming with tears.

Zuko didn't know what to say. He wanted to pull her closer and comfort her, but didn't feel right about it. He should be disgusted; he shouldn't feel anything for this girl. But this whole situation felt wrong to him. She was just a girl. By all rights, he was just a boy. Two kids caught up in a hundred-year war that pitted his people against hers. Two teens who were now the victims of a third entity, worse than any tactless soldier or murderous general he'd ever met.

It was all wrong. As wrong as the deployment of the 41st division.

"They'll find us soon. Me and Toph. They'll find us soon." She whispered, the note of desperation airy between her lips.

Zuko looked into her face, feeling his heart surge with sympathy. This wasn't right. None of it was right.

After a few minutes, the Firebender's knees began to ache from kneeling on the cold metal floor. He asked to sit down and Katara agreed, except that their awkward positioning would force her into his lap. She didn't seem to care, though; her bare knees weren't any more comfortable than his clothed ones. As the prince eased himself down, their mouths bumped, and Zuko cut his lip on his own teeth.

"Ow!" He made to hold his face, but forgetting momentarily about the cuffs, ended up pulling the girl into his chest. She pushed away awkwardly, and the robe opened, exposing her front. As she scrambled to hide her nakedness and untangle herself, they stumbled to the ground, Katara falling on top of Zuko's bare chest.

"Oof!" Zuko felt the wind go out of him, not only because the Waterbender had just crushed his lungs, but because he could feel her warm skin pressed against him. He lay very still for a moment, frozen, his brain screaming a million things at once as he felt the pitter-patter of her heart, beating out a little tattoo against his chest. _Get up! Don't get up! Don't touch her! Help her up! Cop a feel!_

Gradually, he eased his head up to find himself staring into the girl's hungry blue eyes, her cheeks flushed. His gaze roamed down and he caught an eyeful of cleavage, her pert breasts mashed against him. He gulped, but didn't move as she crawled closer to inspect him.

"You're bleeding," she said hollowly, her lips a mere centimeter from his. She eased herself up, holding the robe closed with one hand, using her body to help leverage him into a sitting position. Katara crawled into his lap, gingerly pressing her slight weight against his thighs, practically straddling him. Zuko prayed his erection would die._Anytime now…_

A hand came up and touched the cut on his lip. He flinched.

"I'm sorry. I don't have any water to heal it with." The Waterbender said. She moved closer and took up some of the loose robe in her hand, dabbing at the cut. Zuko watched in fascination as she soberly cleaned his face, her delicate digits trailing over his chin and mouth. Her azure eyes seemed to glow as she studied him, darkening into midnight as an inscrutable look passed over her face. Every touch sent another thrill through him and he longed to pull her down and kiss her pain away, kiss the fire back into her soul.

But now wasn't the time to be seducing naked young women, as much as his body ached to feel her. They had to escape, both of them. Who knew when the warden would return? Eventually, he would no longer be satisfied with just watching...

"We have to get out of here." Zuko said sternly, looking pointedly into her face. Her eyes seemed to lighten a fraction, the shadow of fire playing across her features. "I have a plan, and I need your help."


	5. Gratitude

**This chapter rated very mature for porntacular goodness.**

* * *

**Gratitude**

* * *

They ran on and on, upwards over slippery, mountainous terrain, up, just a bit farther, c'mon Katara, keep going, we're almost there, just a bit farther… 

The prince kept at her heels, urging the Water Tribe girl on as she scrambled over the rain-soaked rocks, ready to catch her if she slipped and fell. Water ran off his scalp and over his face in little rivulets – he'd forgotten how having hair did that.

Zuko kept glancing back, but their escape from the jail had been executed flawlessly – no alarm bells had gone off, no one had seen them. At this rate, no one would know they were missing until tomorrow morning.

When they'd realized that Toph was not, in fact, in the warden's prison, but free and searching for Katara with Aang and Sokka, the Waterbender's spirit had ignited. Every indignity she'd been made to suffer, every dishonour her body and mind had endured under the cruel warden's custody served to fuel her anger and hatred, whipping her into a murderous froth. Zuko watched her appreciatively as she stalked about her cell, talking rapidly about getting out and getting back at the warden for everything he had done to her. Admittedly, he had been a little disappointed that they'd been separated, and she was returned to her cell to dress, but she seemed grateful to be wearing her own blue robes again, and he was glad for her change of temper.

The escape plan was fairly simple, and when blessed rain finally came, Katara unleashed her mighty bending powers, and managed to break them both out of jail. They escaped into the night, but not before Zuko stealthily knocked out the night watch and managed to release all the ostrich-horses in the pen, including his own, which he instantly recognized for its scruffy, thinning feathers. He leapt on its back and grabbed Katara, throwing her into the saddle in front of him.

"C'mon! We have to stay out of sight, get to the tree line," He said as thunder crashed around them. Grasping her around her slender waist, Zuko kicked the mount into a gallop.

They rode a short distance into the forest, but when the terrain got rough, slippery with the spring downpour, they dismounted and continued on foot, Katara at the front, Zuko pulling the ostrich-horse behind him.

"Keep going!" Zuko shouted when the bedraggled Waterbender slumped over a boulder, panting. He grabbed her shoulder. "Look, there's a ruin over there, near the top. We can stop there and rest for the night. But we have to keep going, understand?" He pointed. She stared up at him wearily, and he automatically brushed a wet lock out of her eyes, smoothing it against her head.

The tender contact seemed to reinvigorate her. Katara nodded and pushed herself up.

It was another hour before they reached the plateau, caked with mud and soaked through. The ostrich-horse shook its body and complained loudly, squawking, and Zuko settled it by attaching a stolen feedbag, rubbing its withers before returning to his human companion. Katara leaned against a pillar under a bit of shelter, wheezing from the hike.

"Do… do you think they followed?" She asked breathlessly.

Zuko stood at the edge of the ruin just under the overhang and peered into the trees. A flash of lightning lit the scene below briefly, but he could see no sign of movement, no blazing torches winding through the forest, and none of those distinctive Earthbender hats. "I don't think so. I think it's safe for us to rest here for the night. We can figure out what to do in the morning. Keep watch while I scout the perimeter." He walked into the ruin, an ancient temple of some sort, looking for anything useful. His stomach complained noisily, but hunger was something he'd become accustomed to.

Beneath its vast slate roofs, the Firebender managed to scrape together enough dry brush to fuel a small fire, which he kept carefully concealed in an alcove behind some fallen stonework. It would make a cozy nook for them both to sleep in.

Both? Zuko shook himself. He didn't really owe this girl anything, now that they were both free from the Earth Kingdom's clutches. By all rights, the most he owed her was a head start: he should be leaving her alone to find her own way.

His eye caught her lithe form leaning against a pillar. Her slender silhouette was perfectly framed within the bounding of the ruins against the black of the stormy sky. It might just have been him, but the Waterbender seemed to glow, as if she were infused with moonlight, her dark skin seeming to shimmer against the storm's growing fury.

His heart hammered in his chest. Most likely from the arduous trek up the mountain, he reasoned. He tried to tear his gaze away from the girl, but a deep yearning within him anchored his eyes and will to the spot. He wouldn't leave her. Not yet. He just couldn't.

Katara turned her head and caught him staring. "You got a fire started," she remarked, smiling.

It was a silly remark, really. After all, he was a Firebender. But his breath hitched nonetheless. It was the first time she had really smiled at him about something he had done; the first smile she had given him that was real and for him alone. He beamed beneath her praise and smiled secretly as he warmed his hands.

The sound of water splashing against the slate floor made him look up again. Katara was bending the muddied liquid out of her clothes, her hands running over her body, pulling the water out of the damp, clinging fabric to leave it dry and stiff. She tossed ball after ball of water out of her soaked leggings, robe, and shoes, then began to undo her braid, loosening her long, auburn hair. She combed through it with her hands and Zuko imagined the softness of that wild mane. His eyes fixed on her graceful movement, and he swallowed dryly, feeling desire like none he'd ever known well inside him.

She looked over at him. "Oh, sorry. I should do you first."

He started. "Huh?"

"Get up. I'll dry you off," she approached him. Zuko stood as she repeated the bending process, running her hands over him in a mock caress, skimming her touch a mere centimeter away from his tensed form. It might just have been him, but she seemed to be taking her sweet time about it.

The prince closed his eyes, willing himself not to move. The odd sensation of moisture being drawn off his skin crawled all over him, as though cobwebs were being pulled over his flesh. In the back of his mind, he knew he could dry himself off, knew that he could just steam the water off him by increasing his body temperature. But the thought of a very pretty… no, a _beautiful_ Waterbender standing so close was so much better.

"There. All done." Katara stood back and admired her work – admired his body, he realized – and sat down by the fire, warming her hands over the flames and rubbing her hair dry.

Zuko stood there, gazing down at her, wrestling with the swell of emotions in his gut. His mind kept teasing him with flashes of that bare, flawless skin, the bright blush of her cheeks, and the distant, dreamy look in her eyes as she talked to him about home.

Home. He had learned more about the Southern Water Tribe girl and her family in the past two days of his incarceration than he knew about anyone else. He felt like he could walk through that tiny village right now and pick out Gran-Gran's tent just by the way Katara had described it. Talking had been the only way to pass the time, and she had been much less reluctant to share than he had. She didn't seem to mind, though, and Zuko was grateful that she kept her questions to a bare minimum. In time, perhaps, he'd learn to open up to this girl…

He shook his head. No. That wouldn't happen. Ever. When morning came, they would part ways to continue on their own arduous journeys. Gods willing, they'd meet again.

For now, all he had was this night…

"…Should sit down. You must be tired." Katara patted the ground next her. Zuko blinked. He was still staring down at her when she huffed, grabbed his hand, and dragged him down next to her.

The contact sent a shock through his arm and he gasped, feeling a shock of unbidden pleasure course through him, hot and sinful. He choked back a moan. And she had only touched his hand…

"What's wrong?" Katara asked in alarm.

"I… it's nothing. Just a bruise," he lied, holding his side.

Katara pursed her lips. "Take off your shirt."

"What?"

"Take off your shirt. If you have a broken rib, it could puncture something and you'll cause some major damage. Take off your shirt. I can help you."

"Really, I'm fine—"

Katara put a finger to his lips and looked into his face pointedly. "Please. Just…let me help you." She said quietly. Her finger traced softly over his face and Zuko stifled a whimper. He didn't move when her hand slid around him and undid the tie that kept the robe she had shared with him closed. Her unbound hair hung over one shoulder invitingly, and Zuko's senses were flooded by her cloying fragrance. Her hands gently worked the tunic off, drawing it off his shoulders to expose his pale skin, muscles rippling with tension as she closed in on him.

Zuko watched her face hazily, the expression in her cerulean eyes shifting from fascination to desire to all-consuming hunger. Her lips parted in the barest of pants and her cheeks glowed rosily in the firelight. She reached out and drew the rest of the shirt off, her touch lingering against his biceps, eyes roaming over his heaving chest.

"Zuko…" she breathed, eyes scanning his torso. "I don't see a bruise."

The prince's lips trembled, watching her with hooded eyes. "Are you sure?"

She would not look into his face. "Yes."

He reached out and took her small hand. She gasped at his touch but didn't pull away. He guided her hand around his waist, drawing her into the circle of his embrace, one arm holding her hip. "Can you find anything here?" He murmured, pressing closer. The roughness of the water girl's tattered robe made his bones sing.

Katara's hand explored his side, her other arm draped lazily over his shoulder. "No."

He brought her hand to his collarbone. "What about here?"

"No." She licked her lips a little, the flicker of her pink tongue teasing Zuko into a frenzy.

He took her hand, quivering, and placed it over his heart, her soft palm lightly brushing his hardened nipple. "Katara," he breathed shallowly, feeling like he was about to burst. "It hurts here."

She looked into his eyes finally, and they surrendered themselves, both lost to the world. Their mouths came together, crashing, falling, entangling, void upon void wrapping the other, tongues exploring, lips devouring, tasting, drinking each other's passion. He breathed in the scent of her rain-dampened hair and skin, and held onto her tightly, pulling her right onto his lap. She moaned. His hands traced her delightful form, feeling the curves beneath the fabric, and he wanted to beg her to please let him touch her, let him taste her skin.

He didn't need to ask. She pulled away from him to untie her own robe, opening it in a flash so she could press her flesh against him. Zuko extracted the blue dress from her as she continued to nibble on his neck and earlobe and shoulder, driving him insane with desire. He wanted her. He wanted her badly.

"Zuko…" Katara gasped as his hands worked at the breast band. "Zuko I need you…"

He nearly came at those words, his member throbbing against the taut fabric of his trousers. He tried very hard not to think about their circumstances: the prison, the deadly brawl they'd had at the North Pole, and all the times she had thwarted his attempts to capture the Avatar. All he knew was that he was wanted; desired by a beautiful girl who should by all logic despise him. But she didn't hate him. She wanted him. He wanted her. And all they had was this night together.

Hands skilled at wielding broadswords and gouts of flame fumbled with the tightly-wound bindings. Zuko was out of his mind with lust, his entire being shaking with thirst and hunger that would only be sated when he could take the lovely water nymph. When he managed to remove the breast band, he was rewarded with the most exquisite view of Katara's dark body, a sylph painted bronze by the campfire. She straddled him, chest-to-chest, her long, slender legs wrapped around his waist, the long strip of her breast band draped about her like an enormous string of ticker tape. His eyes traveled from her knees, tracing the long, smooth line of her thigh to her hips and up her waist to her navel and up. Her pert breasts and dark nipples jutted out at him, and he looked up at her imploringly before she asked him with her gorgeous blue eyes to _please, yes, please suck on my tits._

He lowered his face and obliged, taking the right breast in hand, gently massaging her while applying his tongue and mouth against the other. Katara whimpered in pleasure, running her fingers through his short, dark hair and eliciting a growl from the back of his throat.

At some point, he managed to work his boots and pants off. They writhed together on the dusty ground, their heavy breathing mingling with the patter of rain. Her hands were everywhere, raking over his flesh, her mouth eager to taste every inch of his hot, pale skin. Zuko was absolutely mesmerized by the way she snaked her entire body over him, like she couldn't touch him enough. Her frantic hands hooked onto the waistband of his underwear, and she pulled down, freeing his erect member from the cloth.

She made a little gasping noise: no doubt she was unaware of the Fire Nation royal family's legendary endowment. Lying on his back, Zuko eased himself onto his elbows to look at her, smirking at her disbelieving gape. Their eyes met again, and he felt that swell within him, that thing that made him want to hold this girl to him and never let go, the urgent need to make her happy, make her smile, to drive her out of her mind with pleasure…

She smiled at him and lowered her head. He moaned lowly as she pressed his twitching member past her lips and into her mouth. His whole body quaked as she ministered to his needs, her silky hair spilling over his hard, flat stomach. His vision clouded with bursts of light and colour, but he didn't want to climax just yet.

"Ka-Katara," he gritted. "I…"

She relinquished his penis and smiled up at him. "Yes?"

Zuko stared wide-eyed down at the girl. Young woman. Woman. That's what she was. "I want you. In the rain."

A puzzled look passed over her face and he scooped her up in his arms, savouring a deep kiss as he shakily walked out into the warm spring storm. He explained: "I'm a Firebender. I'm going to get really hot when I…" He found himself blushing. He couldn't bring himself to say it. "I don't want you to get burned."

Katara's eyes softened. She nuzzled him and nodded her understanding.

Just beyond the overhang, the rain poured steadily down, plunging down in a virtual waterfall from the ancient broken eaves and onto the steps below. A pillar of stone just behind the downpour was slick with the backsplash, the rain softly pattering down from the weeping skies.

Zuko set the Waterbender down, his whole body humming with anticipation. She looked at him with those eyes of hers, turbulent as the raging sea, her whole being calling to him as she stood there looking like a newborn goddess of the elements.

She pulled him into her arms once more, their mouths seeking to consume the other. Zuko felt his whole body heat as his erection brushed against the Waterbender's silky, wet folds. They moaned softly together, each enjoying the other's touch. He pressed Katara against the pillar, feeling the downpour crash against his skin in cascades of white foam, and looked into her face once more, bracing her body, hands sliding under her hips.

The slightest doubt crept into his mind. What if he hurt her? What if this was entirely the wrong thing to do? Wasn't she the enemy? Since when had he wanted her so badly? He hesitated.

But she didn't. Wrapping a slender leg around his waist, Katara pulled the prince forward, impaling herself onto him, crying out in pain. Zuko held very still, the closeness and shock of being inside someone nearly thrusting him over the edge.

He waited, recovering control, feeling the Waterbender's body relax. The grip on the back of his head loosened and the claws digging into his shoulder pried out of his flesh. He looked into her face once more and she leaned back slightly, her entire body covered with a sheen of rain and sweat. Her eyes were filled with tears.

"Are you okay?" He asked, winded by the riot of sensation that threatened to overtake him. She nodded, biting her lip, smiling as she kissed him gently.

He was having a hell of a time maintaining control. His entire body ached for release, and Katara's body, tense and tender, still needed time to adjust to him. He bent backwards and let the rain wash over him, cool and refreshing, before he gently began moving his hips.

Katara whimpered at first, so Zuko slowed his thrusts, gyrating inside of her to ease her onto his thickness. Every movement made him shudder, the clenching of her flower driving him deeper and deeper into ecstasy.

When she got into it, Katara began moving her pelvis in time with his. He grunted appreciatively, moaning when she tightened around him. She panted his name over and over, driving a red hot fever through his soul. No one had ever said his name so wantonly before, or even referred to him without his royal honorific. But to have this girl – his enemy, his nemesis, his polar opposite – cry for him and want him and need him…

He felt the flame within him light, the growing burn that signaled the point of no return.

Zuko opened his eyes, quickly dunking himself in the cooling rain again, his hips thrust against Katara's. He had to cool down, to slow himself. He wanted to have her all night, to never end this glorious feeling. He could feel her tightening, ready for release, and he wanted to be the one who took her there, to forever claim her.

He watched her, her head bent back to rest against the cool stone, her hair hanging wetly behind her. Katara's face was contorted in that incredible mixture of agony and joy, lips parted. Her shapely legs were spread out on either side of his body, and he could see the dark curled hairs on both their bodies where they joined. She watched him expectantly, whimpering, pleading for him to bring her to climax.

Zuko smiled. He never thought in a million years that the Waterbender girl would be his.

"Katara…" he said, smiling. He settled her feet back onto the ground, keeping himself buried up to the hilt. She looked bewildered. "My sweet water lily…" He kissed her softly, nuzzling her.

"You're… you're not done already, are you?" She asked softly, her eyes shimmering with disappointment. Zuko nearly laughed.

"No. Not nearly."

He pulled out of her swiftly, gasping at the sudden disappearance of heat and wetness. She drew him back, kissing him fiercely, planting butterfly pecks over his face, his scar…

He pulled away momentarily, stunned. Somehow, she had made him completely forget about his scar and the jarring reality of its existence, its origins, its meaning, made the world crash down upon him, harder than the pounding runoff he stood in.

"Touch me," she whispered hotly, oblivious of his sudden disconcertion. Her wanton pleas were slowly drawing him away from his reality, the immediate danger they had allowed themselves to slip out of. His brain kept flashing back to those moments when Katara had looked so defeated in her little cage – now she was tigress, slavering for him. She guided his hand to her breast and pulled him flush against her, squeezing his buttocks. She growled.

In a heartbeat, he was back, wanting her more than ever. He kissed her fiercely, taking his fill before wrenching away and spinning her around on her heels. He bent her over at the waist and guided himself into her hot sex, moaning as he slid in, inch by glorious inch.

Katara mewled, her legs spreading to allow him access. She held the pillar for support as he began to move in slow, shallow thrusts that eventually deepened, lengthened into sensual pulls in and out of that tight crevasse. Zuko was pounding into her now, the sound of skin slapping wetly together echoing across the plateau, his heavy balls bouncing against her firm bottom. Her cries drove him wild, but the perfect blue eyes that had turned to watch him, begging, nearly sent him over the edge. The storm had become a torrential downpour once more, and silver foamed water washed over both of them, splashing down over Katara's back and sluicing over the Firebender's chest.

She breathed heavily, her lashes sparkling with rain as she closed her eyes. "Zuko…" she gasped, "Oh Zuko, I'm… I'm going to…"

"Me too… Katara…" He slammed into her again and again, his senses flooding with fire as she cried out his name, clamping down hard. He came, wave after wave of fire roiling through him. His skin seared and he moaned as he ignited, his mind rocketing into the blank void of ecstasy as the water poured down over him, sending up billowing clouds of hot white steam.

* * *

They lay by the rekindled campfire, naked, atop their discarded clothes in the dust of the ruin. Zuko draped his arm around the Waterbender, breathing in her scent mixed with smell of air heavy with spring rain. He had no need to disperse his inner heat to her – they were both hot from the exertion, legs wobbly, bones singing with deep satisfaction. 

But Zuko felt different now; as though his eyes had been opened to a whole new world of possibilities. Though he was exhausted, his mind raced, swollen with promise and ideas and plans, all of which seemed to involve this beautiful, wonderful girl who had shared this precious night with him.

He had never meant to feel anything for her – he had always thought his first time would be with some faceless floozy from his father's harem, or a no-name whore his Uncle had purchased.

But now, he felt like he had a purpose. A reason to be alive.

Meanwhile, Katara slept, a tiny smile curling her sweet lips. Zuko watched her as she whimpered a little, turned over, and buried herself deeper into his chest. He shook with silent laughter and kissed her brow and held her to him, feeling triumphant. Invincible.

He lay back and sighed. Tomorrow held promise. Tomorrow, he would tell her. Would ask her…

* * *

"Will you come with me?" 

Katara stopped combing through her hair with her fingers. She blinked. "Where?"

"To find my mother."

The water girl's eyes softened. Her lips tugged down into a small frown and Zuko felt his heart sink.

"Zuko…" she stepped toward him and took his hand, looking earnestly into his face. "Last night was special. Really, really special. I want to stay with you. I really do. But I have to help Aang become the Avatar."

The great wafting balloon of his soul deflated, popped by the red hot stab of jealousy. His spirit, flying high ever since last night, came crashing to the ground. He jerked as if someone had stabbed him in the heart.

The waves of anger dissipated as he looked into her face. She was telling the truth: she really did want to be with him.

He found his voice, hoarse with disappointment. "I… I know. I just hoped—"

"Come with me." She said suddenly, gripping his hand tightly. "You can teach Aang Firebending. After the comet, we can go find your mom together…" Her eyes burned with conviction, with hope.

Zuko wanted desperately to say yes. But he had set out to find his own path, his own way. Katara had helped him discover a part of himself he never thought existed, but she could not be the answer to everything he was. He had a long way to go still. If their paths crossed again, then perhaps he'd be ready to accept her offer, but until then…

"I can't." Zuko closed himself off, shutting the doors of his mind and walling himself away from the hurt threatening to make him buckle and give in to whatever this girl wanted. In an instant, he had gone cold, turning his back on his lover, the warmth of her hand quickly slipping out of his grasp.

Katara didn't persist, did not fight his decision. She said simply, "I understand."

The prince was just a little disappointed.

"We will see each other again," he promised, back still turned. "I don't know what I'll be then… friend, enemy, ally… but I just want you to know…"

_I think I'm in love with you. I think I've always been in love with you. One day we'll be together again and when that day comes, I won't let go._

"The experience was very good. Thank you." He finished coolly.

He mounted the ostrich-horse and rode away without saying anything else, kicking his mount as hard as he was kicking himself. The leather reins felt stringy and dry in his too-tight clutch, his knuckles going white as the creature laboriously picked his way down the rocky slope away from the village, the girl, the what-could-have-beens…

And then he heard it.

"Zuko! WAIT!"

He reined in the bird, heart thudding in his chest. Katara was running at him, eyes sparkling, her smile breaking through the anguish like a sun through the storm clouds.

And before he knew it, he had leapt off the ostrich-horse and had her in his arms, kissing her with renewed hunger, holding her, nearly sobbing with joy.

Screw finding himself. He would never have to fuck a cabbage again.

* * *

**END**.

* * *


End file.
